Sweet Charity Ending Question

I just rewatched, for the first time in several years, my DVD of the movie of Sweet Charity. While I love the movie dearly while at the same time think it's a huge mess I liked it even more than I remembered... I can see why it bombed of course, but...

Anyway--one thing, while watching the alternate ending bonus (which honestly--while totally wrong for the feel of the piece--I don't think is as bad as many claim. It has some funny lines and is a nice compromise...) how does the original stage version end? I know she doesn't end up with Oscar [I don't think] and something to do with a CBS TV "Fairy godmother"? Can someone give a description? I did read the original Simon libretto back when I first fell for the show in Jr High but that's... well a long time ago.

E

Mmm then ya'll did an illegal ending. The ending as licensed and performed originally is roughly:

Charity thinks Oscar won't want her because of her job. He says of course not! I love you! Everyone's happy. They sing "I Love to Cry at Weddings". THen, he decides he's not okay with it, pushes her in the lake. She gets out and out comes this fairy that says something to the effect of "Tonight. Tonight. It will all happen tonight. Your desitiny/dreams (or something) will happen tonight."

Then she turns around and we see a sign on her back that says "The Good Fairy--TONIGHT on ABC". She exits, and Charity does the dance she did at the beginning.



Seriously. What made that seem like a good ending.

When my sister did the show, they ended it with Oscar leaving and Charity singing a reprise of I'm The Bravest Individual.

Well I was asking about the ending the Fosse original and Fosse's 80s revival used--which was the one with the Fairy--was the other ending written later, like the other Pippin ending?

E

OK now I'm confused (ya ya what's new...)

So the alternate ending you can do is her not being pushed in the lake and ending with a reprise of Friends Could See me Now? Peter Stone adapted the movie I know but the movie doesn't end with Friends See Me Now... But he wrote the play second ending too?

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The original film, THE NIGHTS OF CABIRIA, is far darker - Oscar literally tries to kill Cabiria (Charity) by pushing her off a cliff but then has second thoughts.

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See, we used the Coney Island parachute jump scene.

In the theatre I was doing this at (this is Mississippi) they put up a background for Coney Island and it looked more like Central Park! And I was like "WTF?! This looks NOTHING like Coney Island! You need rats running around, fat people in little tiny outfits, garbage everywhere, a hot dog stand on every corner, some cheap stuffed animals..." lol.

Can anyone post the 2005 ending?

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I don't remember the ending....that's sad...

Yeah from all I've read I think it's my fave too even if I can see why people doing the revival, etc, would want to change it.

Just to clarify, I don't not like the original ending because it's sad--I don't like it because I think the fairy joke is stupid and bizarre.

It was Ruth Buzzi right?

Updated On: 3/24/07 at 12:01 AM

So the hippie ending was used on stage? when? i love it in the film (though it thankfully lacks those lines and a dance :P )

SO confused--so where was the hippie ending used?